Household Air Pollution

According to World Health Organization’s report upon household air pollution and health (2018), it has been estimated that globally around 3 billion of population uses kerosene and solid fuels (i.e. cow dung, charcoal, wood, coal and crop waste) for cooking food in ineffectual stoves and in open fires. However, the majority of the population lives in rural areas and has low income. As the process of such type of cooking is inefficient which results in producing high level of toxic compounds and gases within the surroundings of household, these gases then directly penetrates into the lungs causing health diseases. Such gases and compound fall into household air pollution or indoor air pollution categories.
This report examined the impact of household air pollution upon the health of household members and the minimizing this impact through usage of efficient cookstoves (i.e. Jaan Pakistan Supreme Stove). The survey was conducted upon the respondents residing in some of the off-grid districts of Pakistan by asking questions regarding their own understandings of danger of household air pollution and feasibility of using efficient biomass fuel combustion technology and its impact upon their lives.

In the Philippines, charcoal is among the preferred fuel types used for residential cooking and water boiling applications. However, charcoal combustion emissions are known to contain compounds toxic to human health. It is estimated that millions of Filipinos residing in households that use charcoal for cooking and water boiling may be exposed to alarming concentrations of household air pollutants (HAP). Indoor exposure of residents is a function of many variables such as fuel combustion efficiency, fuel type, emission exhaust from the dwelling space, ventilation, and kitchen placement and orientation. The study focused on the development of an improved cookstove, the assessment of its performance, and the impact of its use on the exposure of a simulated occupant. A modified water boiling test was conducted, based on the protocol developed by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. Cookstove performance was quantified using the former's ready-made e-spreadsheet. HAP considered in the study were carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and both respirable and inhalable particulate matter. Physical conditions (dry bulb temperature and relative humidity) were also assessed.

This study shows that exposure to air pollutants from indoor cooking fuel combustion may be associated with elevated Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Heart rate and Body mass index (BMI) in rural women of India. 60 premenopausal women (using solely agriculture residues, wood, dung, straw, leaf) and 30 women (solely using clean fuel, LPG) were recruited for this study. An ethically approved questionnaire was used in the study and health parameters were measured by standard instruments. Eight pollutants were measured by calibrated instruments, applied both in the living room as well as kitchens of test-subjects. The Test-subjects were divided into two groups, LPG users, and biomass users, and the toxicological risk was assessed by measurement of PM 2.5 levels in the given indoor environments. The concentrations of all the pollutants were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in biomass users than in LPG using households, except in the case of O 3 (p < 0.40 3) at the time of cooking. Results highlighted that DBP (p < 0.070), SBP (p < 0.143), Heart rate (p < 0.002) and BMI (p < 0.052) were varied in the two fuel user groups. In the case of biomass fuel user toxicological risk was higher (5.21) than LPG users (0.69). Moreover, Symptoms like asthma (25%), cough (76.67%), dizziness (36.67%), eye irritation (88.33%), and shortness of breath (43.33%) were highly prevalent among biomass users than in LPG users. The study highlighted that Biomass using women are more prone to cardiovascular disease and policies should be formulated for their sustainable health.

The present study estimated the concentration of black carbon (BC10 and BC2.5) during cooking hours in three types of kitchen in ten households and two improved cookstoves (ICS) tested against traditional mud cookstoves (TCS) in the real field conditions. The study also used a community-engaged approach to involve the local public regarding the benefits of intervention. The results clearly revealed that personal BC concentration was highest in an enclosed kitchen (83 mg/m3) while using TCS compared to a semienclosed (25 mg/m3) and open kitchens (16 mg/m3), respectively. The results showed that deployment of ICS would help in reduction in personal BC concentration in all the households ranged from 36 to 84% and 33e89% in BC10 and BC2.5, respectively. The study measured the personal dose of BC concentration for women of all the selected households. The reduction in the exposure dose for personal BC10 and BC2.5 was 69% and 59%, respectively. The results showed that BC concentration during cooking greatly varies with time-activity pattern of users and which in turn affects the exposure levels of the participants. Thus, it is imperative to measure the exact time users spend near to the emission source to get actual exposure inhalation concentration. The results of the study also shared with the local communities to build their capacity for better understanding about the benefits of advanced cooking technologies, household design to improve the ventilation conditions in the kitchen areas and health benefits in terms of reduction in exposure levels especially for vulnerable group like women and children.

Interventions in the clean cooking sector have focused on improved biomass stoves in a bid to address household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle-income countries. These initiatives have not delivered adequate health and environmental benefits owing to the less than optimal performance of improved biomass stoves. There is an urgency to transition communities to cleaner cooking systems such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce the prevalence of HAP. Adoption of LPG also has challenges. This case-control cross-sectional study with 510 households examines how affordability, accessibility, and awareness (3As) are associated with LPG adoption in rural poor households of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India. Using binomial logistic regression analyses, the study examines the association of 3As with LPG adoption, adjusting for demographic predictors. Results show disparities in LPG adoption owing to affordability, accessibility, and awareness. Household income is positively associat...

Interventions in the clean cooking sector have focused on improved biomass stoves in a bid to address household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle-income countries. These initiatives have not delivered adequate health and environmental benefits owing to the less than optimal performance of improved biomass stoves. There is an urgency to transition communities to cleaner cooking systems such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce the prevalence of HAP. Adoption of LPG also has challenges. This case-control cross-sectional study with 510 households examines how affordability, accessibility, and awareness (3As) are associated with LPG adoption in rural poor households of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India. Using binomial logistic regression analyses, the study examines the association of 3As with LPG adoption, adjusting for demographic predictors. Results show disparities in LPG adoption owing to affordability, accessibility, and awareness. Household income is positively associat...

Exposure to harmful by-products of combustion arising from the use of biomass fuels for cooking and heating in rural areas of developing countries results in poor air quality and is responsible for millions of deaths yearly. Little formal quantification and measurement of carbon monoxide (CO), one of these harmful air pollutants, have been performed in rural areas of North India. In the current study, we measured exposure to CO from cooking and heating in seven households using biomass and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in open and closed kitchens. Exposures to CO ranged from 4.81 to 7.01, 0.20 to 1.81, and 0.02 to 0.75 mg m−3 for households cooking with biomass, cooking with LPG, and for households in which no cooking occurred, respectively. It was observed that the CO concentration in biomass-only households is much higher (78%) than in LPG-only households (14%). We found exposures in closed kitchens approximately two times higher than in open kitchens. Location of the kitchen (i.e., open vs. closed) was the most important determinant of exposure of primary cooks to CO in this geography.

Interventions in the clean cooking sector have focused on improved biomass stoves in a bid to address household air pollution (HAP) in low- and middle-income countries. These initiatives have not delivered adequate health and environmental benefits owing to the less than optimal performance of improved biomass stoves. There is an urgency to transition communities to cleaner cooking systems such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to reduce the prevalence of HAP. Adoption of LPG also has challenges. This case-control cross-sectional study with 510 households examines how affordability, accessibility, and awareness (3As) are associated with LPG adoption in rural poor households of Andhra Pradesh, a state of India. Using binomial logistic regression analyses, the study examines the association of 3As with LPG adoption, adjusting for demographic predictors. Results show disparities in LPG adoption owing to affordability, accessibility, and awareness. Household income is positively associat...

Background Despite a substantial reduction in the use of solid fuels worldwide, exposure to household air pollution (HAP) from use of these fuels for cooking remains a leading risk factor for global disease burden. Among environmental risk factors, the contribution of HAP to disease burden is second only to ambient particulate matter pollution. We present updates to our modeling methodology as well as our latest findings on attributable burden estimates. Methods We estimated HAP-attributable burden for cataract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, neonatal disorders, stroke, and type 2 diabetes for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. We used spatio-temporal Gaussian Process Regression to model data from observational surveys and censuses reporting primary cooking fuel to estimate the proportion of individuals using a specific solid-fuel type (wood, coal/charcoal, agricultural residues, or dung) by location. We converted the fuel exposure estimates to year, location, and sex/age-specific PM 2•5 exposures with a regression mapping function using household air pollution measurements. Using a Bayesian meta-regression tool, we estimated relative risk as a function of PM 2•5 exposure for each disease based upon a systematic review of the epidemiological literature on indoor and ambient air pollution. We then combined our exposure estimates and relative risks to estimate population attributable fractions and attributable burden for each cause. Findings In 2019, 91•5 million global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (95% uncertainty interval 67•0-119) were attributable to HAP, a decline of more than 50% from 1990. We estimated 2•31 million (1•63-3•12) global deaths were attributable to HAP and accounted for over 4% of all deaths in 2019. HAP-attributable burden remains highest in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, with 3770•3 (2876•4-4720•2) and 2068•0 (1412•5-2799•7) age-standardised DALYs per 100 000 population, respectively. Interpretation Although the disease burden attributable to HAP decreased considerably between 1990 and 2019, it remains a significant risk factor. Our internally consistent methodology and comprehensive approach to estimation of HAP-attributable burden provides a robust resource for global health interventions. Efforts to transition to cleaner household energy sources should be accelerated. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.